The scenic quality of a landscape is a natural resource that is to be preserved according to German and international law. One important indicator for the evaluation of this value is the structural diversity of the landscape. Although Landscape Metrics (LM) represent a well-known instrument for the quantification of landscape patterns, they are hardly used in applied landscape and environmental planning. This study shows possibilities for the integration of LM into a commonly used method to assess scenic quality by the example of a Landscape Structure Plan.

Land use and land cover (LULC) and their changes in share and number of classes can be documented by
remote sensing techniques. Information on LULC is needed for the assessment of ecosystem services and
is used as input data for mapping and modelling. This information is important for decision-making and
management of ecosystems and landscapes. In this study, LULC were analysed in two agricultural areas in
Northern Germany by means of a pixel-based maximum likelihood classification approach of 11 Landsat

The enlargement process of the farm, made with the traditional standard of connection, is characterized by the devaluation function of land, until the reform of article 2135 (civil code) that provides to the acknowledgement, among the connected activities, of those aimed to the offer of services, included the activity of valorisation of territory to which are referable the farmed wildlife hunting ground and agritourism farmed wildlife hunting ground. They are expression of the multifunctional farm that realizes, in the rural areas, the diversification of economic activity.

The issue of interest is as to whether it is possible to use the added value generated by the positive effect of having housing developments close to water to abate the negative effects that may arise in some of the same locations. This paper is based on a critical literature review together with expert interviews.

This study provides a wind farm valuation/planning model, for territorial wind energy policies at a provincial scale. With reference to the case of territory of Syracuse, the pattern identifies the best layout of the plants under different conditions. The pattern, based on the integration of spatial-GIS and numeric calculation, provides a wide range of scenarios able to define a trade off energy/information function characterising the decision pattern of a whole land-energy policy.

Landscapes provide a broad range of services to society. To date, however, only few regional to continental scale
studies assess the capacity of landscapes to provide these services under changing environmental conditions. This
is required if the maintenance of current landscape multifunctionality remains a long-term goal. The presented
mini review highlights and promotes the concept of landscape functions, defined as the capacity or potential of
landscapes to provide services. Ultimately, spatially explicit landscape-function assessments may provide baseline

Relating spatial patterns to ecological processes is one of the central goals of landscape ecology. The patch-corridor-matrix
model and landscape metrics have been the predominant approach to describe the spatial arrangement
of discrete elements (“patches”) for the last two decades. However, the widely used approach of using landscape
metrics for characterizing categorical map patterns is connected with a number of problems. We aim at stimulating
further developments in the field of the analysis of spatio-temporal landscape patterns by providing both a critical

In the latest Apulian programs for rural development a newer attention was put on forestry sector, in order to better hinder the global changes due to the peculiar sectorial ability. Three different instruments has been set to improve the forest value, to increase the forestry land and to boost the multifunctional rule of forestry. Aim of this work is to stress the difference between the proposed indicators in regional programs and some other characterized by a different level of realization, understanding, reliability and communication.

The greater the benefit derived from using a piece of land for any particular purpose the higher the price the prospective user is willing to pay.  The demand for land is thus a reflection of the utility derived from its use by current or potential users.  The ability to compete for sites depends on whether they have the means to benefit from accessibility and complementarity within the urban framework. Conventional theory states that productivity determines urban rent, which is the highest at the place of maximum accessibility, i.e. the central business district (CBD).

This paper aims to propose a methodologyofanalysisthe sustainability of localproductivearrangements, which combines the traditional methods of assessing thecompetitiveness of the methodologies for measuring sustainability, considering theindicators of sustainable land development (municipality in which the arrangement isinserted) and the social and environmental responsibility (CSR).

As part of the planned expansion work of the motorway A8 between Rosenheim and Salzburg and the
associated legal opportunity to develop new traffic noise protection measures, this study investigated
properties of sustainable noise abatement in a community next to the A8. A two-stage empirical survey
was conducted integrating a citizen and an expert Delphi survey. The results show that the noise from
the motorway heavily affects the quality of life in health, economic and ecological respects. Sustainable

The purpose of this study is to introduce tourism, externalities, and public goods to a small-open growth with endogenous wealth and public goods supply. We develop the model on the basis of the Solow-Uzawa growth model, the neoclassical neoclassical growth theory with externalities, and ideas from tourism economics. The economy consists of three – service, industrial, and public - sectors. The production side is based on the traditional growth theories, while the household behavior is described by an alternative utility function proposed by Zhang.